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As We Approach Christmas [A Prayer]

Good and gracious God,

As the Church
looks toward Advent
we also find ourselves
surrounded
by the beginnings of
the secular celebration
of Christmas.

As we hear preachers and teachers
encouraging us
to wait for Christmas,
to appreciate the anticipation
of the coming of the child
who will be born in a manger,
as we are encouraged
to not rush into Christmas,
also help us to see
that the Christmas story
is not stuck in time.

We are not meant to wait
for that moment in time,
celebrate it,
and then move on
to our everyday lives.

The Christmas story
is meant to change us.

Remind us
that when we celebrate it
as a moment in time
and then, as time passes,
leave it behind,
we relegate it to
a pleasant and mystical story
whose significance
is merely that it makes us act
like better people
for a day or two.

Teach us to carry the Christmas story
with us in all parts of our lives.

Encourage us to carry
the joy and hope,
the peace and love,
with us in all the days of our lives.

Encourage us to share it
with each person
we meet
and, in doing so,
teach us to create
Heaven on Earth
even if it is
only for a moment
in time.